American Classics: Chocolate Kix Toffee Bark

There's something wonderfully nostalgic about cereal-based desserts. I still remember my first taste of a Rice Krispie Treat. I was in kindergarten at a PTA meeting for parents and new students. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Since then I've discovered chocolate and peanut buttery treats like Scotcharoos and Chex Muddy Buddies. While Kix was a favorite cereal in our house growing up, I've never tried it as a dessert until now.

Flipping through my well worn copy of Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, I came across a recipe for Kix Toffee among the "Company-Best Cookies" recipes. Your "company" doesn't need to know that this recipe is stupidly simple. All you need is butter, brown sugar, Kix, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and some chocolate. Like a crispy, crunchy cereal-based version of my perennial holiday favorite Chocolate Crack, this is a recipe to break out when you've got that holiday party or cookie exchange and you're low on time. I promise they'll be going for seconds (and thirds).